Adult Educators: an example of the new approach to lifelong learning in Poland

This article presents reflections arising from a study on adult learning professions in Poland. Changes in the socio-political and legal context created phenomena that have occurred in the adult education systems, mechanisms and approaches. The article focuses on the impact of those processes on a specific professional group — adult educators.
Because of the increasing importance of lifelong learning and the promising vision of a knowledge society, new initiatives in education open challenging possibilities for human development. Based on interviews with practitioners the article describes the professional situation of adult educators: training, development, awareness, values, priorities and practice. A new trend noticeable in these interviews — the emergence of a new kind of educator. The working style of this new group (operating like a closed caste) with a specific language and communication style, value system, ethics and critical skills resulted in the creation of the culture of lifelong learning. The culture of adult educators has developed skills of survival in a fragmented reality of the Polish educational policy, a chaotic legal frame and the strong pressure of the labour market.